After grueling temperatures the past couple of weeks, the heat took a break Saturday, resulting in a perfect semi-sunny and breezy afternoon at the Queen Mary’s third annual Shipkicker Country Music Festival.

The event, which took place at the Waterfront Events Park next to the historical RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, was completely sold out by the time gates officially opened at 1 p.m., with fans showing up early to celebrate and dance at the venue-sanctioned pre-concert Parking Lot Party since actual tailgating is not allowed by the Long Beach Police Department.

Though there were plenty of people on hand taking in early afternoon main stage sets by artists like Jake Parr, James Rensink and Honey County and dancing along to acts like Alicia Kelly, Melissa Farrior and Alexandria Corn over on the Shipkicker Saloon Stage, things really started to pick up around 4 p.m.

Jerrod Niemann, center, and the Hung Jury perform at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Brittany Feilen and Lisandro Alcantar, facing at right, kick up some dust while dancing at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

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Zach, left, and Colton Swon, better known as the Swon Brothers, perform at Shipkicker on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Tayler Ybarra, of Mission Viejo, takes to the mechanical bull at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Erika Griebenow, left, runs into her friend Natalie Conde, both of Manhattan Beach, at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Elizabeth Nava of Huntington Beach and Connor Howard of Costa Mesa, dance during the Shipkicker country music festival Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Geremi Reese rides the mechanical bull at Shipkicker near the Queen Mary on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Cherie Frost of Belmont Heights checks herself out in a cowboy hat vendor’s mirror at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Line dancers enjoy the Shipkicker country music festival. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Revelers Sherri Botano, left, of Long Beach and Ann Robertson of Lake Elsinore dance at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Linedancers enjoy the Shipkicker country music festival. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Cowboy boots abound at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Brian Wendt of Yucaipa wears a giant cowboy hat at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Marla and Art Carrette of Long Beach enjoy a moment away from the Shipkicker Country Music Festival. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Line dancers enjoy the “Tailgate Party” at Shipkicker in Long Beach on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Genesis Gore, facing, 3, dances during the Shipkicker Country Music Festival on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rod Veal, Contributing Photographer)

Orange County country band Daniel Bonte & the Bona Fide drew a pretty sizable audience that danced to his original material and sang along to a cover of Lady Antebellum’s “You Look Good.” Bonte even led the crowd in a sing-along to Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” in a tribute to the late Chris Cornell.

The Swon Brothers, hailing from Muskogee, Okla., also had a bunch of fans in the audience. The duo, who finished in third place during the fourth season of NBC’s “The Voice,” played a straight and stripped-down set. They won over the audience with their songs “Just Another Girl” and “Don’t Call Me” as well as a cover of the late Merle Haggard’s “Okie From Muskogee” and Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.” They played just the first few chords of that last cut before almost the entire audience took over and sang the bulk of the 1990 award-winning hit.

Jerrod Niemann’s turn was filled with energy, and though his sound was remarkably low, he kept the crowd entertained with his radio hits, like “Lover, Lover” and “Drink to That All Night.” He slowed things down a bit so couples could slow dance to his new single, “God Made a Woman,” and they swayed along to his heartache ballad “What Do You Want.” “It’s good to know my pain is your pleasure,” he said with a smile to the audience, which cheered loudly after the track. He also brought out his buddy and fest headliner, Lee Brice, to duet on their song, “A Little More Love,” which garnered a huge response from the crowd.

By the time Brice hit the stage, the low-sound issue had been remedied and the 38-year-old South Carolina-native was ready to entertain. Brice has a classic rock ‘n’ roll vocal with just the right amount of country twang. He also has a nice mix of rowdy drinking songs and traditional country-inspired sing-along ballads, resulting in a solid set list. He kicked off his turn with “Little Things” and transitioned into his radio hit “Hard to Love.” He slowed things down for “That Don’t Sound Like You,” then brought the energy up, his voice soaring, on “Love Like Crazy.” He had the Shipkicker crowd in the palm of his hand, belting out “Drinking Class,” “I Drive Your Truck” and “Parking Lot Party.”

It was a mixed crowd that showed up for Shipkicker. Country music fans of all ages and ethnicities co-mingled throughout, sharing tables and making new friends while noshing on giant barbecue turkey legs at the food court or tearing up the wooden dance floor at the Shipkicker Saloon Stage. Couples in their 80s slow-danced to country music classics and got right in on the line-dancing action, definitely showing the younger generation a thing or two.

Hundreds of patrons tried their hand at the mechanical bull, and guests surrounding the blow-up attraction cheered as people either went flying off or were able to hang on for any significant amount of time. As the day went on and the booze flowed more freely, the bull riders were almost as entertaining as what was happening on the main stage.

Speaking of booze, at around 4 p.m. all the kegs at the VIP bar were pretty much tapped out. The staff could be seen rushing kegs and bags of ice on carts across the park in an effort to keep up, but this audience was relentless. Some fans managed to sneak in liquor via small plastic flasks. Away from the eye of security, one woman proudly removed two flask/baggies from her bra and poured whisky for herself and her friends.

Though the event was completely sold out, it never felt overly crowded. There was still plenty of space to mill about, shop in the vendor tents, set up blankets and chairs, play lawn games and, of course, dance to the music.

But there was a snag. Though there seemed to be plenty of portable bathrooms at the start, it wasn’t nearly enough for this heavy-drinking crowd, which could have easily used an extra 20-30. People complained about missing nearly entire sets because of having to stand in the bathroom line. Thankfully, at least the main stage was visible from where the toilets were strategically placed.

Kelli Skye Fadroski lives for entertainment. She’s worked at The Orange County Register since 2006 and has covered all things music, stand-up comedy, horror and more. When she’s not out reviewing a concert or interviewing some random famous person, she’s catching up on episodes of 'The Walking Dead,' somewhere sampling craft beer, enjoying Taco Tuesday or yelling at the contestants through the TV on 'Celebrity Name Game' for not knowing basic pop culture trivia. She’s also a diehard Detroit Lions fan.

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